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TIL that Mughal emperor Shah Jahan got rid of the scaffolding on the Taj Mahal by telling peasants that any of the scaffolding material they took was theirs to keep. Apparently they took it away in a single night.

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woE5o TIL that the Swiss Air Force did not respond to the hijacking of EA Flight 702 because it was outside of office hours 08:00-12:00 - French and Italian aircraft escorted it to Geneva airport
9Y6Gr TIL that a former mathematician and mayor of Bogotá, Columbia, known for his eccentric legislation, hired exactly 420 mimes to mimic jay walkers in efforts to prevent traffic rule-breakers. Traffic fatalities dropped by over 50% as Mayor Mockus proved people would rather be fined than mocked.
LQYkd TIL Humphrey Bogart served in World War I in the Navy and during World War II in the Coast Guard.
8adgb TIL many Plains tribes recognized certain persons having the role of "reverse" warriors, experienced warriors who in battle purposely abided by contrary, foolish or crazy principles. The "reverse" warrior charged when ordered to retreat and could only fall back when he was commanded to attack.
aw58M TIL the first Soviet citizen to visit the White House was a female WWII sniper with 309 confirmed kills, one of which was a sniper she dueled for 3 days.